Every 22 April, Earth Day is celebrated in many countries today. It is nice to look at some landscapes and admire the beauties that this planet gives us.
But you don't have to look up at some wonderful panorama to know about the goodness of Mother Earth. If we breathe every day, it is thanks to her.
Sadly, we have contributed to its deterioration in many ways. But still, each of us can make a difference. At least, be encouraged to make the following suggestions as a way of showing appreciation for this planet that allows you to live on it every day.
1. Save Energy
We don't even notice how many resources we waste every day. It's not so hard to save energy and water. It's enough to turn off home appliances and lights when they are not needed. Don't leave the chargers plugged into a socket, they consume electricity even when not in use. And when buying home appliances, choose energy-saving models - they are marked A, A+, A++.
As for water, you can save on utilities and at the same time help nature to install an apartment water meter. In addition, you can install energy-saving shower heads with a flow rate of fewer than 10 liters per minute. And when doing laundry, trying to load the washing machine completely and setting a lower temperature of the washing machine will help to reduce energy consumption by 80%. Heating water is the second most energy-consuming thing after heating the air.
2. Collect garbage separately
People have learned how to handle garbage in three ways: leave it in landfills, burn it or recycle it. All but recycling is destructive to nature and dangerous to human health. That's why it's so important to collect garbage separately so that you can then recycle everything that can be recycled into new things and materials. For example, you can make new notebooks and paper for the office from unnecessary waste paper. And old plastic bottles will turn into colorful children's slides.
Try to collect waste separately. You can do this by using recycling bins that are placed on top of each other. Or even just use two bins: one for recycling and one for the rest of the waste. You can separate the plastic, glass, and paper before collecting the garbage. And don't be afraid that recyclables will take up a lot of space. You can always reduce it by tying newspapers into bales or flattening plastic bottles and carton packs.
Batteries. Household batteries must not be thrown away with the rest of the garbage. Only one battery can contaminate a square meter of soil with heavy metals.
3. Recycling
The separate waste collection leads us to the next point in terms of saving nature recycling. Every year 14 million tons of household waste is thrown away in NewYork. According to Greenpeace, only 3-5% of municipal solid waste is recycled. At the same time, American processing companies are not so loaded that they have to buy waste abroad. But there are reception points for glass bottles, aluminum cans or paper in almost any American city.
Almost all the garbage in our country is sent to landfills. Environmentalists believe that if we do not introduce recycling, in 10 years the area of landfills in America will be more than we can control. In this case, more than 70% of the waste buried in landfills could be recycled. Therefore, if you start recycling yourself - it will be a big step towards saving nature. You find the nearest recycling collection point on google map.
4. Choose eco-transport
The most useful ways to get around are on foot and by bike. And it is useful not only for nature but also for your health. In addition, not much harm to the planet is done by public transport. But if you can't do without a car, use the advice of environmentalists, which will help reduce fuel consumption and reduce the impact on the environment.
Take care of your car: check it out on time, change air filters, engine oil and spark plugs. Keep your speed constant and do not exceed the permitted limit. For example, driving at 100 km/h instead of 120 km/h will save 20% fuel. If you stop for more than a minute, switch off the engine. And maintain the necessary wheel pressure. Not fully inflated wheels produce more resistance and, as a result, fuel consumption increases.
5. Use reusable
Reducing waste is just as important as properly recycling it. Try not to use things with a short life cycle. Especially since today almost everything is disposable, there is a reusable alternative. Buy less of what flies in the bin almost immediately: disposable tableware, excess packaging, disposable towels, and napkins. Choose products packaged in environmentally friendly materials: paper, glass, fabric.
The lifetime of one plastic bag is about 12 minutes. Such bags do not decompose and their effect on the ecosystem grows every day. As for biodegradable paper bags, more harmful substances are emitted into the atmosphere during their production: the carbon footprint of a paper bag is 3 times larger than that of a plastic bag. As a result, the use of 1000 paper bags is equivalent to burning 8 liters of gasoline. If you want to help the planet - start a few reusable kinds of cotton or a Thermo bag for hiking in the shop.
6. Get eco-friendly at work
Care for nature can be taught by example. Become a guide to the world of environmental life for the entire office. Turn off the elevator in favor of the stairs and remember to turn off your computer at the end of the day. If you buy lunch from a cafe, bring reusable containers and thermal mugs. And offer your bosses to organize separate garbage collection in the office in three categories: paper, plastic, and glass.
If there is nothing to breathe in the office, then take care of its landscaping. It is enough to put a few extra pots with plants. After all, even on spacecraft, NASA grows plants to improve air quality. And in good weather, you can even move the meetings to nature. Take a large plaid, a thermos with tea and a working meeting in the nearest park. A change in the working environment will not only make you feel better but also increase your productivity.
7. Keep an eye on the food
The right choice of products will also help to reduce your personal environmental footprint. Buy seasonal products and locally produced products. They require less fuel and generate fewer emissions to be delivered. In addition, the more recycled a product, the heavier its environmental footprint. Canned foods are considered the "heaviest".
Another problem with products is their packaging. Worldwide, 561 million tons of food packaging are emitted every year. So give preference to products in paper packaging and take a Thermo bag with you to your shop. This way you not only keep food fresh and save money on bags but also reduce the amount of garbage.
8. Give up plastics
It is unlikely to be possible to completely abandon plastic too many surrounding things that are created from this cheap material. But it is possible to reduce the consumption of plastic as much as possible and contribute to the salvation of nature. For example, do not buy water in plastic bottles and use reusable bottles made of stainless steel or other reusable material instead.
If you can't imagine your morning without your coffee with you, come to coffee shops with your own thermal mug. Some coffee shops are even willing to give you a discount on coffee for this. If you are in a hurry and you have forgotten your coffee mug, at least give up the plastic lid and spoon when buying coffee with you.
9. Discard phosphates
Environmentalists threaten an environmental crisis and explain that phosphate compounds contained in household chemicals when they get into rivers and lakes, act as a fertilizer. This causes rapid flowering, and then the aging of the reservoir. And if it weren’t for the cold winters, we could not escape an ecological disaster!
In a word, if you want to save the planet, choose phosphate-free detergents for washing and washing dishes, especially since their offer has expanded significantly today. So you will not only protect your loved ones from allergies, but also save rivers and lakes, and there, not far from the oceans!
10. Buy local fruits and vegetables
Having lived at least one day without meat, man will also help nature. The fact is that meat production incredibly resources intensive. To get at least half a kilogram of beef, more than 3 kg of grain and about 400 liters of water are required. And scientists at the University of Chicago even say that by following a vegetarian diet, a person slows down the global warming process more than if he switched to a hybrid car.
The effect of switching to vegetables and fruits for one day can be enhanced by giving preference to local products. So you not only support the domestic manufacturer, but also reduce fuel consumption for transportation and, accordingly, minimize the number of harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
Conclusion
So we have known that if we are careful enough we can save our earth. Little change in our daily life can have a great impact on our planet.
Do you use any of the methods or maybe do something else? Share in the comments.